March Madness

By Rebecca Gray
HoopGurlz Columnist
Posted Tue, 03/25/2008 - 07:44 March and the NCAA Tournament has Rebecca Gray smack dab in the middle of the Madness!

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PHOTOS COURTESY REBECCA GRAY

Time flies by when you are having fun. This is probably the way I would explain my life at this point in time. It is already the end of March and this year has gone by like a flash. It has been one crazy ride and it is not over yet!

When you are entering the NCAA tournament, you come in with a totally different attitude. The fact that your next game could be your last is scary, but it also is like an adrenaline rush. You play with a sense of urgency, like you want to go out there and fight for your tournament life. It doesn’t matter who you are playing or what they are ranked. It is March and crazy things happen.

My experience with the NCAA tournament has been great. If we aren’t playing or practicing, then you can bet for sure that we are eating. I have never had so many opportunities in one day to eat like I do on away trips. We wake up and eat breakfast then head to our practice session. Come back from practice and eat lunch. After lunch we have like three hours before dinner and then after dinner we will have a snack. That is an example of an off day with just a practice. On the days we play, we get breakfast, pre-game, post-game, dinner and snack. Of course, I’m not complaining because I just love food and I will eat every time I get a chance.

Another perk that comes with being on away trips is our movie bonus! I’ve already mentioned that we go to the movies, but I love it so much I figured I would tell you again. On this trip, we have been to the movie theatre twice and I take full advantage of the movies. It is important that I look at every movie showing and analyze which one will be the best. Now, being a female, we all know that girls can’t go anywhere or do anything alone. So, you usually look at how many people are seeing a certain movie and take that into consideration as well. One thing that is really different when it comes to the NCAA tournament is the security. Your bags and identification are checked every time you enter the arena. They put these colored bracelets on you and your bags and walk you to your locker room. There are security personnel sitting around every corner and they sit in places around each locker room as well. It is nice to know that they take it so serious. It makes you feel good knowing that you are secure.

We played our first game on Sunday against Bucknell. We won and now advanced to Tuesday night’s game against Georgia. Here is one of the set backs when it comes to playing in the prime time games. The usual prime time hours are seven and nine thirty. We happened to get the nine thirty game for Tuesday which means we probably will not be done until eleven thirty or so. Immediately following the game is the press conference and then people have to take showers. We have to then load up the bus and we are still looking at another four hours before we arrive back in Chapel Hill. Let’s top it off with class in the morning and a couple of exams later that day. It is a sacrifice, but how bad do you want a national championship?

You might have to sacrifice a little right now, but I promise the benefits are well worth it. I believe good things happen to people who work hard. I believe it because I have worked so hard my whole career and now I am reaping the benefits of success. It only makes you want to work harder which is a good thing. A good work ethic can get you a lot of places today.

Until next time, stay cool and keep ballin’ ya’ll!

 

DeGraffenreid, team manager Catherine Greene and Gray in Miami.

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Rebecca "Bee" Gray is a freshman on basketball scholarship at the University of North Carolina. A 5-foot-10, sharp-shooting guard out of Georgetown, Ky., Gray was ranked 47th in the 2007 class and an Honor Roll selection by HoopGurlz.com. She was named Miss Basketball in the state of Kentucky after averaging 25.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 4.8 assists during her senior season at Scott County High School, where she also finished as its career scoring leader with 2,907 points.

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